Chef's Night In: After work, a standing date in the kitchen

Chef Daniel Dunham of Sebo at home cooking with chef, Melissa Perello. Photo of the two, eating their Shrimp with Toasted Garlic and Chili.Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Chef Daniel Dunham of Sebo at home cooking with chef, Melissa Perello. Photo of the two, eating their Shrimp with Toasted Garlic and Chili.Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Photo: Craig Lee, SFC

Photo: Craig Lee, SFC

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Chef Daniel Dunham of Sebo at home cooking with chef, Melissa Perello. Photo of the two, eating their Shrimp with Toasted Garlic and Chili.Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Chef Daniel Dunham of Sebo at home cooking with chef, Melissa Perello. Photo of the two, eating their Shrimp with Toasted Garlic and Chili.Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Photo: Craig Lee, SFC

Chef's Night In: After work, a standing date in the kitchen

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With a restaurant named Sebo and a menu full of sushi, Daniel Dunham and Michael Black are used to the surprised looks when people realize they're the ones in charge of the popular Hayes Valley restaurant. Despite appearances, the chefs' lifelong passion for Japanese food and culture is what inspires the restaurant's menu and fuels their close friendship.

And not to mention, they both have an obsession with seafood. For Dunham, his interest in all things fish began at a young age.

"I grew up working in the wholesale fish business, so pretty much my whole working career has been fish," he says. "To me, it's just endlessly fascinating."

A New Jersey native, Dunham began working for Nassau Seafood & Produce Co. in Princeton when he was 16, and worked there for nearly 12 years. Eventually, he and Nassau's owner opened Blue Point Grill and Restaurant, also in Princeton. "It wasn't Japanese; it was classic American food. But every single thing on the menu was fresh every day."

Sometime after 9/11, Dunham felt ready to branch out. "I was born and raised in Princeton, and I thought, 'You know what? It's just time to move on.' " After traveling around Europe for five months, he came to San Francisco to visit his best friend, and fell in love with the city. "It's the greatest place in the world. I flew home, packed up my car and drove out, and haven't looked back since."

From Midori to Sebo

Since moving to San Francisco, Dunham has put down roots fast. He and Black made names for themselves at Midori Mushi before opening up Sebo. And by chance, Dunham and Melissa Perello, formerly executive chef of the Fifth Floor, met each other at Sebo and began dating. "I went in to eat a couple times, and we just hit it off," says Perello.

Even working six days a week, Dunham and Perello cook nearly every night in the home they now share in the Lower Haight.

"We cook late at night, around midnight or so," says Dunham. With busy schedules that don't allow time together until the late evening, the food they prepare is usually simple, and often versatile.

"The food is fun, and good entertaining food. When the weather's nice, we're in the backyard," where the pair maintains an herb garden, says Dunham. Adds Perello, "We do a lot of barbecues."

Shrimp for a crowd

One of their favorites - Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Garlic & Chiles - is quick to prepare and great for a crowd. Dunham starts with the best-quality shrimp he can find, with the heads still attached. Lucky for him, owning a sushi restaurant allows him to bring the best parts of his work home. He uses New Caledonian Blue shrimp from the eastern coast of Australia and specially ordered from his seafood purveyor in Japan, though regular jumbo shrimp work just as well.

The dish begins with thinly sliced garlic, slowly browned in olive oil to create an intense flavor and crisp texture. Perello uses just a couple dried peperoncini in the dish, which is more than enough to create a spicy kick. "Unless you really, really love spicy stuff, don't eat them whole," Dunham advises.

Finger food

Next, the butterflied shrimp are added - heads and all - and quickly cooked until they're nearly done. Off the heat, a sprinkling of lemon juice finishes the shrimp. Garnished with a handful of fresh cilantro and chopped green onions, they're served piled up on a plate, with just a bowl for the shells and a stack of napkins for messy fingers. "With these, we normally just stand around and sort of pick at them," says Dunham.

Another easy late-night dish is Dunham's steamed clams with sausage and pasta. Perello rolls out and cuts fresh fettuccine, while Dunham prepares the clams. He uses manila clams, known as asari in Japanese, but says littlenecks are fine, too.

After the clams get a soak and a scrub down, sweet and spicy Italian sausage is browned in a large Dutch oven, then the clams, white wine, butter and garlic are added. Once the clams steam open, the whole mixture is tossed with the pasta and fresh herbs. Grilled bread accompanies the pasta, and is great for soaking up all the remaining juices from the sauce.

Izakaya Sundays

Though Sebo is only a 35-seat restaurant, it's constantly busy. "We just celebrated our two-year anniversary on March 1st," says Dunham. This past winter, Sebo began serving izakaya, or small plates of Japanese bar food, on Sundays.

Through the long work week and the many hours behind the sushi bar, it seems the late-night meals Dunham shares with Perello are the perfect antidote to a day on your feet.

Manila Clams with Italian Sausage & Fresh Fettuccine

Serves 4-6

If you don't have time to make your own fresh pasta, many grocery stores stock fresh pastas in the refrigerated section. You can use fresh fettuccine or tagliatelle for this dish, or regular dried pasta. Chef Dunham likes to use manila clams, but littlenecks make a great substitute as well.

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 link sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

1 link spicy Italian sausage, casing removed

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 medium shallot, sliced

1 1/2 pounds manila clams, scrubbed clean

1 cup dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 bunch minced parsley

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + 3 to 4 tablespoons

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound fresh fettuccine or tagliatelle, or 1 pound dried fettuccine

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions: In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Using your hands, crumble the sausage into the pot, keeping the crumbles in large, chunky, but bite-size pieces. Allow the sausage to brown and cook through, breaking up any extra large pieces with a wooden spoon, about 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pot to a small bowl, and set aside.

Add the garlic and shallot to the pan, and gently cook until they are translucent. Add the clams, wine, butter, half of the parsley, and the sausage along with any accumulated juices back into the pot. Bring to a simmer, and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cover the pot and steam, about 5-8 minutes, or until the clams have all opened. Remove any clams that do not open, and discard. Sprinkle the top of the clams with the remaining fresh parsley.

While the clams are steaming, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a steady boil, and add 3-4 tablespoons of salt. If you're using fresh pasta, it should only take a few minutes to cook through. If using dried pasta, follow the cooking instructions on the package.

Once cooked, drain pasta and mound in a large serving bowl. Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the cheese. Pour the cooked clams and all the juices over the pasta. Toss the clams and pasta together and serve with crusty bread.

Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Garlic & Chiles

Serves 4

Chef Dunham and Chef Perello love using this recipe to entertain with, or as quick late-night meal. If you purchase shrimp with the heads still attached, make sure they're very fresh. Chef Dunham likes shopping at Sunset Supermarket, at 2425 Irving St. in San Francisco, which stocks fresh head-on shrimp as well as other live seafood. If you're averse to eating the shrimp heads, you can also use regular peeled and de-veined shrimp for this recipe. Dried peperoncini are available at some specialty food markets, including Le Sanctuaire in San Francisco. If you prefer your scallions cooked, they can be added to the pan with the raw shrimp.

12 jumbo shrimp (about 1 pound), heads attached

-- Sea salt, to taste

-- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 dried peperoncini or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-- Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 bunch of scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Instructions: Using a sharp knife, split the underside of the shrimp down the center so that they are butterflied, but not cut in half. Do not remove the shells. With the shrimp butterflied, the vein should be visible. Carefully remove the vein using your fingers, a paring knife, or by running it under cool water. Season the shrimp with sea salt and black pepper, and set aside. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, add in the garlic slices and the dried peperoncini. Continue to stir the garlic and chiles around the pan with a wooden spoon, allowing the pieces to slowly cook in the oil. The garlic will gradually begin to brown. If you notice it browning too quickly, reduce the heat. The darker the garlic gets, the more bitter it will taste.

Once the garlic is golden, add the shrimp, sauteing until the underside begins to turn pink, about 1-2 minutes. Using tongs, quickly turn the shrimp over and allow the second side to cook, another 1-2 minutes. The shrimp will be just barely cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the lemon juice. The lemon juice, along with the heat from the pan, will gently steam the shrimp so that they are cooked all the way through. Toss the shrimp with the cilantro leaves and scallions, and serve.